PEOPLE living in streets earmarked for demolition have condemned opportunist entrepreneurs offering to buy their homes at half the market value.

Eddie Johnson, who lives in one of the streets marked for demolition, said: "I think this is absolutely appalling because it's taking advantage of people who are already suffering horrendous planning blight, unable to enter a valid property market.

"Who is really going to buy property they know is only going to have a short life and know it's going to be demolished?''

Gordon Mitchell, whose home is also facing demolition, said: "Many residents have been approached by opportunists in the housing market, offering them substantially low cash figures for their homes, because they are living in a blighted area, under an imposed cloud of possible compulsory purchase and demolition.

"Some offers equate to 50 per cent less than should be the current free market value.''

Anger at the approaches to sell came the same day Middlesbrough Council announced a £1.5m boost for its regeneration plans, including the proposed demolition of 1,500 homes.

The cash is from the Middlesbrough Partnership, responsible for allocating money from the Government's Neighbourhood Renewal Fund in Middlesbrough.

Councillor David Budd, Middlesbrough Council's executive member for regeneration, said: "These plans are crucial to the well-being not just of neighbourhoods where there is older housing, but the whole town. They will bring in the level of investment which will turn these neighbourhoods around and make them places where people will want to live and settle.

"At the moment, we have a commercial town centre which is going from strength to strength and is one of the most successful in the country. Yet, on its doorstep are neighbourhoods where the standards of housing, community safety and the environment haven't kept pace."

The council claimed yesterday it will pay full market value for the houses, as if there were no demolition proposals, and will also help residents into another property, at least as good as their old home, and, if they want, will help them to stay in the area.

Campaigners say they do not want demolition, but appropriate investment to ensure their homes remain good quality town houses for many years to come.